Economics of the Massage Industry

So there is barely a strip of shops from Coolangatta to Noosa that doesn’t have a massage shop. Some have three shops within a 50 metres. Given that no one I know will admit to visiting a shop, how do they stay open? Is there a side hustle that I’m missing? If they were selling “duty free” smokes you could see the business proposition.
Now add to that many shops are staffed by “mature” Asian ladies, which would not I think build a reliable return customer base. I see one shop in redcliffe also does dog grooming and some offer waxing / haircuts.
Even if you average two MLs per shop there are hundreds of MLs trying to make rent, groceries and perhaps tuition.
So given a high supply and low demand, you think there would be competitive pricing but it costs the same with a Mature ML as a HAB.
These businesses defy the law of economics, how is there so so many and how are they open?

i think some of these shops are not there to make money, but more a way to washing money through.

Isnt that like asking why there's food joints on every commercial street?

They must sell drugs on the down low. I’m going to ask (for a mate) next time I’m there.

That one in Kippa Ring used to be a hairdresser/dog groomer which I always thought was an odd combination and I've wondered if they still offer that in the garage or whether they're just too lazy to take the signage down.

I think there are more customers for food than massage, and you dont have to hide Maccas from your missus. LOL

521 Beams road massage anyone. Lol

I think you will find the profit margin is massive. One FS nets around 200 to 300. If a boiler is on a pension and working on one per day, that’s 1k cash on top. I know the good ones will pull 1k to 2k per day cash. That’s no tax…. They don’t need to do much to make good money. You pay the shop fee which is declared, the extras go untaxed.
I know one girl, 23 now, not working now was pulling 30 to 35k per month. She stopped to start a family and I guess, maybe a boiler someday when the kids have grown.

I know popular girls can make a fortune, especially if they work 4 or 5 or even more days a week. I reckon it's like real estate agents, the top 20% maybe make 80% of the income and the rest are grafting away, like massage girls. Except I'd trust a massage girl more than a real estate agent (almost).

I went to a Thai massage shop last week on a whim, happened to be in an area I don't normally go to and just googled shops nearby. Just called in and there was one girl working, wasn't sure what was up at first but ended up with naked HJ. She said I was her fifth booking for the day and she had another booking after me, her last for the day. But she said another girl had gone home early as she had only seen one customer and had no other bookings.

Shop owners wouldn't be making anywhere near as much as a popular girl I would have thought. Unless it's a shop like Take 5 with a large number of girls working every day. How does a shop with say two or three girls working each day make enough money to pay all the bills and still make a profit? Probably why a lot of owners still are "on the tools" (literally)

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Originally Posted by HST

I know popular girls can make a fortune, especially if they work 4 or 5 or even more days a week. I reckon it's like real estate agents, the top 20% maybe make 80% of the income and the rest are grafting away, like massage girls. Except I'd trust a massage girl more than a real estate agent (almost).

I went to a Thai massage shop last week on a whim, happened to be in an area I don't normally go to and just googled shops nearby. Just called in and there was one girl working, wasn't sure what was up at first but ended up with naked HJ. She said I was her fifth booking for the day and she had another booking after me, her last for the day. But she said another girl had gone home early as she had only seen one customer and had no other bookings.

Shop owners wouldn't be making anywhere near as much as a popular girl I would have thought. Unless it's a shop like Take 5 with a large number of girls working every day. How does a shop with say two or three girls working each day make enough money to pay all the bills and still make a profit? Probably why a lot of owners still are "on the tools" (literally)

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What was that shop. Sounds like it would be worth a visit.

I suppose we could say, if you are doing 5 naked blow jobs a day, you deserve the money.

I have always thought about this - is it a breaking bad front and they are cleaning cash through some of these places?

An average place would require about $2k a week turnover to cover Rent and Utilities. And turn some Profit.
That's probably about 50 Customers @ $40 , as an Estimate.
Half the places around Brisbane would not be getting 50 Customers, especially if there's only 1 ML working on many days.

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Originally Posted by Sanuk555

An average place would require about $2k a week turnover to cover Rent and Utilities. And turn some Profit.
That's probably about 50 Customers @ $40 , as an Estimate.
Half the places around Brisbane would not be getting 50 Customers, especially if there's only 1 ML working on many days.

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Yes that's a good analysis and estimate. To make money as an owner you need a LOT of customers. I have heard that some shop owners keep the whole massage fee for themselves and the girls only make money from tips. I'm not sure how widespread this practice is though.

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Originally Posted by Iloveit67

What was that shop. Sounds like it would be worth a visit.
I suppose we could say, if you are doing 5 naked blow jobs a day, you deserve the money.

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It's Saibadee Chang Noi Thai Massage at Shailer Park